Monday, June 2, 2014

Salomon XT Hornet / Fellraiser - Product Review

So. I've been told several times that Salomon shoes are rather narrow & surprise surprise.. I was very happy to learn that the XT Hornet (& most likely XT Wings 3) are actually kinda wide..

With online shopping (that many Aussies do) we're victims of many trials & errors - I'm hoping with this entry I can help some of you who may be thinking of getting these Salomon shoes but are unsure about fitting etc.

My feet are kinda wide, & I need bit more cushioning in the Achilles heel area. But how wide?

Here's how my feet measures up:

Widest at 11cm & kinda fat throughout, Length is 25.3cm..

The XT Hornet at UK 9.5 fits very nicely for my 11cm wide/ 25.3 long feet.. my feet do not feel squeezed at the sides & I have sufficient toe box area. The XT Hornet offers more cushioning at the Achilles heel compared to the Fellraiser so I definitely feel I have found the right Salomon shoe & size. Having said that during my initial run the sole felt quite stiff & I'll probably be putting another layer of sole just for added cushioning - however this could improve as I slowly break into the shoe - we shall see. All in all pretty damn chuffed about them so far.. they are sturdy for the mountain trails but not as elaborate as the XA Pro Ultra 3D & my favourite feature being the wide heel outsole which is awesome for stability..

The S-LAB Fellraiser at UK 9.0 (& my previous Salomon shoes ie. XA Pro Ultra 3D) definitely feels a bit tight width-wise compared to the XT Hornet. If you have narrower feet than my 11cm you may find them a good fit. Having said that the Fellraiser has its place - light, grippy, low-profile, fast - I use it for short mucky flat-ish fast trails, not too technical... protection against jagged rocks is minimal (you will feel them sharp rocks, no rock plate), if your Achilles heel needs more cushioning like mine during steep climbs these won't quite cut it.. coz cushioning material is kept to a minimal & if your heel digs into the back of the shoe like mine does, you're not gonna like the friction. Keeping to shorter trails my feet don't swell as much & wearing them with thin socks - they do alright.

Well - nothing much to compare from the top - just a nice color contrast!

Quite frankly I'm just glad I found a Salomon shoe that I can actually wear for my big runs! Once again I think the XT Hornet is very similar for the XT Wings 3 - their profiles looks almost identical & hopefully many of the info for Hornet can apply to the Wings as well...

1 comment:

I just bought a pair of this. My previous shoe was the XR Crossmax. During fitting I felt this is more comfortable. But I still have to figure everything out during the actual run. I fitted the XT Wings along with this also. Wings is more comfortable than this one but I like the snug fit at the heel of the Hornet. Wings is more pricey too while this Hornet is on sale so I chose this one. - manie from Philippines